Tales of the Spiral Knights
by Theravadus
Summary: Even though the war with the Anti spirals is over, a new one is just beginning. However just as there's a new war there are new heroes to fight it. *Chapter 3 revised. Not sure if I'll finish it.
1. A bright light in the sky

I got this idea after finishing Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann.

There's a bit of spoiler in the first part but after that, there's a long stretch before anyone from the main story shows up. Please read and review.

Once there was a war in heaven…

It was fought between prisoners and their jailers.

And it was seen by the entire universe.

Deep within the space of the Anti Spirals rested a column known as the Galactic Spiral Trench containing countless ganmen of Spiral Knights who'd fallen to the Anti Spirals, their energy consumed. However one day, the energy was released to fuel the arrival of a new spiral hero known as Simon.

And the ganmen fell to the stars. Seeds to be planted in the soil of a new generation of Spiral Knights.

It was night, a five year old Shiro looked up at the star filled sky. He smiled at the clusters of stars that hovered above him. He wasn't supposed to be outside, monsters would get him, but it was night and the stars were beautiful.

As he looked up he saw a green streak of light cut through the sky. He gasped in amazement, clasping his fingers and closing his eyes to make a wish.

And then it came true.

As he opened his eyes the sky was filled with the glow of countless green comets. They moved in all directions cutting through the night in a bright collage of light.

And one of them headed straight for him. He wasn't afraid; however, he moved back slightly as he watched, eyes riveted as the green ray of light crashed at his feet into the hard dirt.

He dropped to his knees and began clawing at the dirt. In a few seconds he'd found it. It was a drill, a single small drill with a square hook out the back. It was cool and gray in his hand. He held the key as he looked upwards to the sky.

As he did a massive red machine arose among the stars, with a torrent of green fire rising from its back.

"Even if we were to be enslaved in the galaxy's cycle of rebirth,"

"the feelings that were left behind will open the door!"

"Even if the infinite Universe were to go against us,"

"our burning blood will cut through fate!"

"We'll break through the heavens and dimensions!"

"We'll show you our path through force!"

"Tengen Toppa Gurren-Lagann!"

"WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK WE ARE?!"

Shiro stared at the giant robot in the sky with wonder.


	2. Spiral Resonance

Thanks for the review! It's time to start with part 2!

Tales of the Spiral Knights Part 2: Spiral Resonance

Ten years later…

Fifteen year old Shiro looked out that the vast expanse of desert surrounding his village. The hot sun beat down on him as the wind blew through his cloak trying to force his hood back. He held it over his head, covering him from the hot sun as he grasped a long spear with his other. He let out a long sigh as he watched the desert, looking for signs of danger.

His village was surrounded by a series of large massive land masses between which they set up the large tents that held most of the village when they were above ground. That was only when the monsters and metal men weren't around.

Years ago his village broke through to the surface, finding it full of food and life, but also with plenty of giant creatures ready to prey on them. Shiro and his parents were among the first.

At first they'd tried to fight the monsters and metal men. But the spears and rocks they'd thrown at them only scratched the monsters. The metal men were never hurt at all.

Shiro's father and mother died, hiding him from them.

Thankfully both types of creatures were large and easy to see from a distance. So whenever they weren't around the village moved to the surface to hunt for food and to experience the long denied sun.

"Run on the left side! He'll avoid the spears and move into the other group." Shiro looked into the pass between one of the nearby mesas to the group of hunters chasing a wild squirrelboar. The creatures tended to wander into the upper village since they'd started farming vegetables however the only problem was the squirrelboar were fast, and hunters needed to be equally fast to route them and hunt them.

Shiro sighed as he drank from the water skin hanging from his hip. As he did, a single drop of water traveled down his chin and landed on the drill key hanging around his neck. He smiled as he looked at it. Over the years the drill's dull grey color rubbed off revealing a golden hue hidden beneath. It was his prized possession, his memento from that day. It and the Face. He'd visit the Face after his watch.

As he resumed his watch, he narrowed his eyes at the distance. As he squinted he saw a person, walking towards the village wearing a black cloak. Had anyone gone out to scout today? He couldn't recall offhand.

After a few quick looks around he climbed down the sheer ridge from the mesa, walking over to the strange man in the cloak. He waved to the man's attention. The man waved back.

"Hey! Hey over there!" as Shiro got close to the stranger he soon realized the man wasn't a villager. He was too tall, too big and Shiro was the tallest in his village. Shiro had never met someone from outside his village; he'd never even believed anyone existed outside it.

"Hi!" said Shiro, smiling. He pulled his hood back revealing a messy cut of black hair, green eyes and a wiry smile.

"Hello there." Replied the stranger. He looked around, examining the village. "I didn't know people settled around here."

"Yeah," said Shiro, "I'm Shiro!" he offered his hand to the stranger. The cloaked man looked at him for a moment.

"You're very friendly to someone you've never met."

"Well, to be fair, I never met someone outside the village before." He looked skyward, scratching his chin. "then again, I don't think anyone from my village met anyone from outside the village so I think we're breaking new ground all round the board today."

The stranger chuckled, "Indeed. It is a pleasure to meet you Shiro." The two looked at each other in silence for a moment.

"Umm… I don't suppose you have a name?" asked Shiro.

"Me? I'm nobody important, just a traveler." The stranger looked at Shiro's water skin. "May I have some water?"

Shiro nodded and handed the stranger his water skin. As he did, his cloak was pulled aside, revealing his drill key. The stranger stared at it before taking the skin.

"So…" Shiro hesitated, unsure of his next question, "Where are you from?"

"I'm from another village, far away from here, so to speak."

"So to speak?" asked Shiro scratching his head. The stranger chuckled, handing back the water skin.

"I'm sorry; I'm being very evasive aren't it?"

"A bit yeah." Shiro chuckled.

Suddenly, the hunters appeared around the rimrock in the distance. They had finally hunted down the squirrelboar and run it to the ground.

"Hmm, I'm surprised someone like you isn't helping them." Commented the stranger.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you look like a strong kid. Seems like a waste for you to just be a watchdog."

"Everyone in the village has an important role!" replied Shiro, defensively. "Besides, it doesn't matter how strong you are, if you aren't fast enough to catch up to them, it's no good." Shiro looked down, his smile falling.

"Speed isn't everything, sometimes strength is needed." Shiro looked up at the stranger. "Strength to fight, strength to protect. These things are important too. It's just a matter of having courage to use that strength." Shiro merely looked at the man in silence.

As Shiro stared at the man, a strong wind blew, raising a cloud of dust around them. The dust caused the stranger's hood to flap for a moment, revealing his eyes hidden beneath. They were spirals.

"Hey… what's with your…" as he spoke, dust flew into his eyes causing him to involuntarily blink and turn away. When he opened them the stranger was gone. Shiro looked around, trying to find the stranger.

"Strange guy? Where are you? YO! Strange guy!"

XXXX

Shiro sighed as he smelled the squirrelboar cooking on the open fire. The dark plumes of smoke drifted into the night sky as the fire crackled, hidden between the large mesas.

He heard someone climbing up to the rock behind him. He sat on the rocks waiting.

"Oi! Shiro!" an older boy pulled himself up onto the rock. He was small, but wiry, his blond hair wind tussled and dusty. He wore a small shirt and pants along with thick boots.

"Hey, Lucas." Lucas walked over to Shiro and handed him a large hunk of meat on a bone.

"Here, figured you might be hungry. I saw you up here earlier when we were running the hunt."

Shiro took it, "You did a great job leading the group today." He bit into the meat. "MMmmmm, good shtuff!"

Lucas chuckled and sat beside Shiro. "You're a funny guy Shiro you know that? Why don't you come down and join us? I'm sure we can get someone to take your place up here."

"Nah it's okay. I like being up here. It gives me time to think."

Lucas raised an eyebrow, "Think about what?"

"Stuff."

"Uh huh. You know, you could really help a lot in the village. I know you want to be one of the hunters but," Lucas paused momentarily, "isn't spending all of your time up here a bit of a waste?"

Shiro sighed as he continued chewing, "I suppose, it's just… I really want to help the village. I know farming and all that is valuable, but I want to do something important, something that matters." his smile returned, "Since I can't help the hunting at least I can protect the village by looking out for it." He looked out at the vast expanse of stars that covered the empty, dry desert.

"Hey Lucas?"

"Yeah Shiro?"

"You ever wonder what's out there besides the metal men and the monsters?"

"Oh sure, I think everyone does sometimes. I mean, if you think about it, we had to come from somewhere to here. It's not like we were just grown out of the rocks." He paused, "You think there are other people out there?"

Shiro gave Lucas a grin, "Definitely."

"Heh. I suppose you'd have that kind of outlook." He let out a yawn. Come on, let's get down from here. Even you need to sleep sometimes."

Shiro nodded, suppressing his own yawn as he followed Lucas.

XXXX

As the village slept, Shiro moved in the darkness. The fire was out and the night guards were looking out for any signs of attack. He was safe.

Smiling he moved into the shadow of one of the large rockridges. There, at the base he moved aside several large rocks that were piled, revealing a large hole. He looked around one last time and climbed in.

He'd found it only a few weeks after the night he found his drill key. It'd crashed into the top of the mesa from above but the resulting rubble sealed in the hole. He found this hole himself. After a few minutes of struggling and grunting he pulled himself into a small cave within the ground. There were many small passages for animals to crawl in but none big enough for a human, except for the one he found. He turned around and saw the Face.

It was probably one of the metal men though he'd never seen one that small before. It didn't have arms or legs; it was just a simple grey face surrounded in red metal. He walked up and rubbed some of the dust away from the closed eyes. At first he wanted to tell the other villagers but he was afraid they'd take it and maybe destroy it. He knew it was harmless though, the top revealed and exposed cockpit with an empty chair. He climbed into the cockpit of the Face as he usually did, settling into the seat and grabbing the two handles on either side.

He looked forward and began rubbing away at the strange smooth, shiny circle that rested at the front. In the center was a small hole. He pulled the drill key from his neck and inserted it in the hole.

He gave it a single twist.

And as always nothing happened.

He sighed as he slumped in his seat.

XXXX

Late in the afternoon of the next day, Shiro resumed his watch. He jammed his spear into the ground butt first and leaned his shoulder against it. One of the longest spears in the village, he'd found the metal pole for it, rather than travelling to the trees like everyone else. Everyone thought the pole was too heavy to use but it only took Shiro a few weeks to get used to the weight. Now he could handle it easily, though he had the shortest throw.

As he watched he noticed a black dot coming towards the village. He moved to the edge of the mesa. He narrowed his eyes for a moment before they widened in shock. He spun and jumped off the rock to the village below.

XXXX

"Are you certain it was a bearboar?" asked the village Elder.

Shiro nodded as he stood before the elderly man within his large tent. Surrounded by the leaders of the village the elder sat on a single firm carpet in the center. "Definitely. It was coming in this direction." Said Shiro.

The elder scratched his bald head before running his hand down his long beard. "We should try and move the villagers into the caves. It may smell the crops and come for them."

"But shouldn't we try and stop it?" asked Shiro.

"Shiro…" Lucas put his hand on Shiro's shoulder.

"I mean, it's just a bearboar! It's not like it's one of the monsters or metal men! We can hurt a bearboar if we…"

"Know your place boy!" Said one man. Shiro looked at him, Tsen, the man who spoke for the craftsmen of the village. He was a rail thin man with long nails and hallows in his cheeks that had frightening Shiro as a boy. "Do you know how difficult it is to kill one of those? It is easier to leave the food out for it and wait until it leaves."

"But if we do that, the bearboar might come back for food again! We should try and scare it off somehow!"

"Scare it off? Boy whenever a bearboar has met us in the village we always loose people! Do you not forget how Lucas's father, the former leader of the hunters, died?"

"My father didn't die so you could use his name to win your arguments Tsen." Said Lucas stepping forward. He gave Shiro a quick look, "And I agree with Shiro. If we leave the food the bearboar will definitely come back. We should, at least, hide it."

The elder looked over to the woman at his right, "Chani? Can it be done?" The woman looked up at Shiro and Lucas with her large brown eyes before turning to the elder. She wore thick brown robes that covered her from the shoulders down and her hands were thick and worn from years of soil work.

"The latest batch of crops hasn't matured enough to be harvested. We were short on seeds so we had to delay the rotation cycle in other fields. We cannot relocate any of the crops without losing them at this point."

"The squirrelboar season is winding down. If we lose all our crops now we may not be able to support the food supply." Said Lucas.

"Then we should definitely fight it!" Said Shiro.

"What do you propose then?" asked the Elder.

"Me?" Shiro was caught without an idea, he frantically thought for a solution, "The rocks! The hunters and the guards can go on top of the big rocks and throw our spears at the bearboar! If we hit it right, it might get scared and leave!" "Me?" Shiro was caught without an idea, he frantically thought for a solution, "The rocks! The hunters and the guards can go on top of the big rocks and throw our spears at the bearboar! If we hit it right, it might get scared and leave! If not… well it won't make much of a difference anyway."

The elder remained silent as he continued stroking his beard. After a moment he spoke, "An acceptable plan. Begin preparation immediately."

XXXX

"'Throw spears at it from on top of the rocks.' that's the best you came up with?" asked Lucas.

"It's not a bad plan is it?" asked Shiro. The two stood on top of one of the mesas watching as the last of the villagers moved into the underground caves. The Elder had left Lucas in charge of the plan as leader of the hunters, unwilling to supersede the older boy's judgment.

"No, I just think you could have found a cooler way to say it instead of your normal goofy style."

Shiro furrowed his brows at Lucas. The elder boy smiled at him.

"Here it comes!" Said one of the guards. The hunters and guards readied their spears as the bearboar neared the village. As it passed though the space between the two mesas the men readied their attack.

"Wait until it moves a bit further in, we want it to panic and be scared off." Said Lucas, speaking softly.

Tension filled the air as the men held their spears ready, they didn't waiver as the bearboar crept closer and closer into the passage. It was large, a huge creature with a broad back that ended in a neckless head with a long snout. Massive clawed paws padded along the ground supported by thick muscular limbs. This was all covered by coarse brown fur. The bearboar gave a quick snort as it looked around.

Then with a nod from Lucas they attacked. The first volley of spears struck into the bearboar's hide. It began to buck and roar as it turned about in the passage. As the second volley rained down on them it looked up at the men and roared in fury. Then it began to climb.

"Get ready to move!" yelled Lucas. "Grab the remaining spears and prepare to flank the bearboar from another ridge!"

Shiro looked down at the bearboar climbing up the side,

"_Speed isn't everything, sometimes strength is needed." Shiro looked up at the stranger. "Strength to fight, strength to protect. These things are important too. It's just a matter of having courage to use that strength." Shiro merely looked at the man in silence._

At his chest, the drill key began to pulse with a firm green glow.

"Shiro! Come on!" yelled Lucas.

Shiro looked back at Lucas. The elder boy was met with a look of intense determination from his young friend. Then Shiro turned away.

Shiro gripped his metal spear in his hands and leapt from the ridge. He fell through the air, spear aimed at the bearboar. He could hear the cries of people at his back but they were downed out as he plunged the spear into the bearboar's neck. The creature roared as Shiro clutched the spear, his weight driving it into the bearboar. Soon the bearboar released its grip on the rock, Shiro let go of the spear and tumbled through the air. He landed on the ground feet first in a crouch. He rose and turned, facing the bearboar.

For a moment it stumbled, head pressing against the spear driven into its body. Then, after a few moments, it fell.

A silence passed in the chasm followed by a massive cheer from the men above. Shiro looked up, smiling at the men as they climbed down to congratulate him. As they did, the drill key at his neck grew dark and silent.

In the distance, the strange man looked back at the village. With a smile he turned and began walking back.

XXXX

That night the village celebrated over the feast of the bearboar. It'd been a massive task bringing the large animal back into the village. Eventually they had to cut and skin the meat before setting it on the fire to cook.

At the center was Shiro, being praised and cheered as his story was repeated around the campfire. He smiled with his usual easy grin, giving small commentary whenever his story was told and answering questions.

"Were you scared?"

"A bit."

"How did he look when you got him?"

"Angry."

"Where the heck did you get that crazy idea?"

"It just… came to me."

Between the barrage of questions Lucas sat down beside Shiro, waving people away.

"Come on! Let him eat for a bit!" he said with a smile. Eventually the crowd dispersed around Shiro and the two boys sat with their fellow spearmen.

"Thanks Lucas." He said taking a bite of his meat.

"Not a problem. I should thank you. I don't think the village has ever eaten so well." He nodded to the large slabs of bearboar roasting on the fire.

"It was nothing." Said Shiro.

"No it wasn't nothing." Said Lucas. "I saw that look in your eye when you went to jump. It was something I haven't seen it in a while."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You don't remember?" Shiro shook his head. Lucas sighed. "Five years ago, when my father died, he took a group of us outside the village remember?"

Shiro nodded, stiffening.

"That bearboar showed up and he told me to keep an eye on the group while he led the bearboar away right?"

"Yeah I remember. You led all of us kids back to the village safe."

"That's how you remember it?" asked Lucas.

"Yeah. Why?" Shiro looked at Lucas with a puzzled expression on his face.

"When everyone was scared and frightened Shiro, I didn't know what to do. I started to panic. Then you stood up and said 'We don't have anything to worry about. Lucas is the son of the greatest hunter in the village! We'll definitely be safe.' And then you turned and looked at me and you weren't scare at all. You were just so sure everything would work out. You had that look on your face."

"What look?" Lucas chuckled.

"That look that just seemed to say that no matter what happened you'd push through. It was really cool."

Shiro just stared at Lucas as he spoke, unsure what to think of what he said.

"Ever since then, whenever I wasn't sure about what to do I just think back to you at that time."

XXXX

The next morning found the villagers dazed as they gradually woke from the night's festivities. Shiro pulled himself to his feet as he rested on his spear for support. He yawned as the sun peaked through the ridges blinding him. He rubbed his eyes as he tried to focus on the surrounding area. Most of the villagers had slept outside their tents wrapped in blankets. The remains of the bearboar were still pierced on various skewers and spits. He looked up on top of the ridges.

Was anyone standing watch?

Suddenly a huge roar emerged from beyond the rock ridges. Shiro's eyes went wide as he felt a massive rumble hit the earth, followed by another.

Footsteps. A monster.

Lucas dived out of his tent frantically pulling his breeches on. He fastened them as he stood next to Shiro.

"Didn't anyone stand watch last night?" he asked.

"No one." Replied Shiro. "Is there any way we can move people below ground in time?"

Lucas simply looked at Shiro. The two turned to look at the other villagers who already were awake and trying to move as quickly as they could towards the caves at the rear.

"It's no good." Said Lucas. "Even if we move everyone in quietly enough he'll smell the meat."

"Could we distract him?"

"Shiro…"

"I'm serious! We have to stop it!"

"Stop it? Stop a monster? How?" Lucas looked at him with a look of disbelief.

"I don't know… but we have to!"

"Listen…" Lucas trailed off as he looked at Shiro.

"What? What is it?" asked Shiro.

"Shiro… that drill thing of yours. It's glowing."

"Huh?" Shiro grabbed the drill key and looked at it. Sure enough it pulsed with a green energy. It kept a steady rhythm as he looked at it.

"Hey Lucas, metal men are stronger then monsters right?"

"Yeah, why?" Shiro took off, dashing at full speed away from Lucas.

XXXX

Shiro frantically threw the rocks from the hole. He tossed them over his shoulder as he clawed through the pile trying to expose the opening. He scrambled through the hole and fell into the chasm, stumbling over his own feet as he ran to the Face and climbed into the cockpit. He pulled the drill key from around his neck and looked at it.

It still glowed in his hand as he held it. He hesitated as he looked at it, then down into the hole which now pulsed with its own green light, perfectly in synch with the one on his drill. He let out a deep breath and pressed the key into the slot.

Suddenly a flurry of green energy poured out from the metal man. The light radiated in the dark chamber, illuminating it causing Shiro to squint as he clutched the two handles. The metal face took off, busting into the rock and breaking out into the open sky.

Standing nearby on a rocky outcropping, the stranger stood watching.

"When a human being has a core drill and a ganmen it's only a matter of time before he activates it."

Shiro landed his metal face in the center of the village. People were still moving into the caves as the monster appeared between the rocks. He was huge, a massive lizard with a huge head and huge legs mounted on a wide body with a long tail. He pivoted and turned through the rocks with ease roaring though the passage causing it to resonate and echo down into the village.

Shiro squeezed the handles of his metal face as he narrowed his eyes.

"Once he does, using his ganmen depends entirely on instinct born from the spiral energy running through his body."

He pressed the handles forward, causing his metal face to launch forward at the monster. He jumped into the air and punched it in the face. The monster reeled from the blow.

"The energy resonates from his body to the core drill and into the ganmen, causing it to amplify."

The monster spun and swung its tail down onto Shiro. Immediately, a series of metal bands wove together creating a cover over the cockpit of the metal face just as the tail came down onto the metal face. Shiro felt a massive impact inside the machine but was otherwise unhurt. He raised the metal face's stubby arms and began to push.

"This is the first ability of all spiral beings, the foundation for all spiral powers: Spiral Resonance."

As Shiro struggled against the massive tail he looked down at the display. The drill sat at the center of what looked like an empty spiral. It remained, pointing vertically, unturned within its slot. He reached out and turned the key causing the empty spiral to fill with white marks. Suddenly a drill emerged from the head of his Metal Face. As he pushed the handles forward the hands of his Metal Face also turned into drills causing them to cut into the monster's thick hide. He punched through the tail of the monster, launching into the air.

He floated for a moment before squeezing the handles tightly. As he faced the monster it turned and roared at him.

He roared back. With a mighty cry he launched forward, drills pointed at his enemy, punching through flesh and metal.

He landed on the ground as the monster fell to the ground behind him, a bloody hole in its torso revealing machinery inside.

XXXX

Wow this ended up being twice as long as I expected it too. Hope you folks enjoyed it. Please note that while I'm fully aware a few things that occurred in this chapter were physically impossible, the source material demands nothing less.


	3. Let Me Help!

I decided to come back and tweak this last chapter a bit. Circumstances forced me to drop this project last time and I wasn't satisfied how the next bit was being written. Sorry for having a poor version for so long.

XXXX

Shiro let out a deep exhale as the hot sun beat down on his head. He narrowed his eyes at the wavering horizon as he looked at the long cracks of earth that lined the endless expanse of desert. He continued on pressing forward on the hands of his metal face. He reached into the cockpit grabbing his water skin at the floor of the cockpit. Pulling the stopper from the skin he squeezed the empty sac trying to garner the last few drops from the drying skin.

He let out a groan at the lack of water.

"Maaaan… this seemed like a way better idea before…"

XXXX

"What? What do you mean I have to leave?" asked Shiro.

The Elder looked up at Shiro.

"Shiro please let me explain first." Said the Elder, raising his hand. "A lot of things have become complicated since yesterday."

"I just saved this village!" exclaimed Shiro with his arms wide. "Why am I being punished?"

"It's not a punishment!" said the Elder. "It's a mission."

"A mission? How?"

The Elder sighed. "Yesterday we learned something about the monsters and the metal men. After you destroyed the monster we learned that they are actually manufactured instead of being natural animals. This means someone had to make them."

"We also learned, thanks to you piloting your own metal man, what you call the 'Metal Face', are piloted by people."

"It means," added Lucas, "That there's someone out there who created these things and are using them for something. From what we know of the monsters and metal men we know they only attack when they know we're on the surface."

"Because of that, we know we aren't safe as long as they are out there. One option is to keep you here and fight them as they appear. However, if we follow with that, eventually you may be seen as too much of a threat and they may send more metal men then you could presumably fight off."

"It's not fair to ask you to guard the village when we don't know anything about the enemy and we don't intend to ask you to stay and not fight."

Lucas put an arm on Shiro's shoulder.

"We can survive and hide without you Shiro. But we want to ask you to take on a mission to protect the village." Shiro noticed the concern on Lucas's face.

"How?"

XXXX

"You could have said no." Said Lucas.

"Yeah I know." Replied Shiro. He put his spear into the cockpit of the metal face. He started loading his pack with food and water. Tying it tight he tossed it into the metal face.

"It just seems reckless asking you to run off and fight these things by yourself."

"Well either I fight them here and endanger the village or I fight them out there." He looked over at Lucas. "Besides, I just have to find out what they are and what they want. I don't have to fight them."

"Right." Said Lucas as he raised an eyebrow and crossed his arms. "So these things have fought us and chased us off the surface hundreds of years ago because of a minor misunderstanding." Lucas nodded. "Yeah that makes complete sense." He sighed. "Is there any way you'd realize this is a bad idea?"

"Yeah I know it is." He looked up at his metal face. "But it doesn't feel that way. Ever since I found this guy," he patted the metal face. "I've always wanted to do something important for the village. I always thought I was waiting for that chance but after yesterday…" he trailed off. "I realized I couldn't wait for it. I had to make it happen."

Lucas sighed, "Well are you going to name it? You can't go around calling it Metal Face."

"I dunno... It's a big face with a drill in it…Rasenken?"

"That's a silly name. How about Rasen no Yaiba?"

"Blade of the Spiral? How does that work?"

"It sounds cool." Said Lucas shrugging.

"It's too complicated. I need something simple, something memorable…" Shiro looked at the metal face.

"I'll call it Kirimen!" he said. Shiro smiled as he stood in front of his machine.

XXXX

As Shiro pushed forward on the handles of Kirimen he adjusted his cloak which he now used to cover his head from the desert heat. Ever since he'd run out of food he noticed that Rasenken was slowing down, after a few hours it became hard for the machine to even move.

He'd managed trapping some small animals here and there and using water traps to collect drinkable fluid but that wasn't enough. Even after he'd traveled for four days and couldn't see any other villages in sight.

"Man, this was really a bad plan." He muttered. He needed to find a village. Soon. He wouldn't survive much longer out in this heat.

As he considered drilling underground to give himself some protection Shiro noticed a strange blur on the edge of his vision. Staring hard into the distance he saw it. A massive mesa like the one that surrounded his village. As he looked at it a smile grew on his face. He turned Kirimen around and aimed it towards the mesa.

XXXX

Chiharu stepped out from the shadow of the large mesa and into the bright sun. She ran a hand through her long brown hair as her clear blue eyes looked out at the open expanse of desert. She knew her brother would chide her for going outside with the recent ganmen attacks but she didn't worry. Ganmen were easy to see when they came from far off even if they landed from the sky. Plus the ganmen only attacked from the main entrance to the village. Small side passes like this couldn't accommodate their size. The odds were almost insignificant that she'd see a ganmen out here.

She looked to her right and saw a small red ganmen lying on its back in the shade of the mesa. It had an exposed cockpit at the top revealing a young man hanging out of his seat. She crept closer and looked at the young boy.

He was tall. Not the biggest boy she'd ever seen but definitely big for his age. He wore worn brown clothes and a long spear dangled out of the cockpit. His mouth was open and his breathing was shallow. He was clearly suffering from heat exhaustion and dehydration.

She moved closer and leaned in closer to look at him. As she did, his eyes slowly opened.

"Water…please…" he mumbled with one hand slowly rising. She moved back holding her water bottle to her side. She looked at him, momentarily apprehensive before kneeling down and supporting his head in her lap.

"Here. Open your mouth." She opened the water bottle and raised it to his lips. The boy opened his mouth as the water poured in. His eyes fluttered shut as he let the water slide down his throat, cooling his body. As the flow stopped he slipped into unconsciousness.

Chiharu stood, resting the boy's head back in the seat of his ganmen. She turned and dashed back to her village to find her brother.

XXXX

"So what do we do with him Isamu?" Shiro suppressed a moan as he felt his head loll from one side to the other.

"I don't know. He could be just another enemy ganmen pilot. Though I've never seen one that small before." Said the person identified as Isamu.

"True but his clothes are different; he might be from a more primitive tribe." The first voice spoke again. It sounded like an older man, thick and gravelly.

"If that were the case then how did he get that ganmen? Did you figure out what was the deal with that key?" asked Isamu.

"No. I can tell it's used to operate the ganmen but I've never seen anything like that among any of the other ganmen you've fought. They all just respond to will."

Shiro tried to open his eyes but only saw a small dark brown haze. He closed them again, moving his head slightly. He became aware of his arms being suspended above his head by the wrists.

"Have you tried using it?" Shiro focused on Isamu's voice as he forced his head to work through the sludge of exhaustion.

"Yes but it doesn't work. It might be that this boy is the only one who can use it." Replied the older man.

"That's strange. You'd think they'd use some kind of lock sooner. Then I suppose it's not good for much else but parts."

"Well hold on there." Shiro forced his eyes open just enough to make out two man shaped blurs standing before him. One looked like it had put an arm on the shoulder of the other. "We don't know that this boy is in league with the other ganmen."

"He sneaks around the outside of the village. He might just be some kind of assassin gamen pilot."

"Big brother Isamu." A female voice emerged in Shiro's senses. "When I found him didn't look like he was sneaking around. He looked more like he'd been traveling for days."

"It could be a front Chiharu. A trick." Proclaimed Isamu.

"I don't know Isamu." Said the older male voice. "That boy there looks like he's suffering from genuine dehydration. Hey! He's coming around."

Shiro's eyes finally obeyed him, the world came into focus and he found himself within a cave. He saw small torches of metal lining the walls. Just ahead of him beyond a sharp corner he could see daylight.

The cave was filled with strange metal boxes and chains which made constant strange sounds as if they were alive. Among them he could see his Kirimen, chained to the floor. He looked up at his captors. The first man was older, not as much as the Elder of his village but still grey haired. He had the muscles of a young man but his skin was tanned and leathery. A thick mustache beneath his nose twitched occasionally. The second man was clearly younger. Wearing loose clothes he looked down at Shiro with piercing blue eyes that stared at him between locks of red unkempt hair. Between them was a young girl with long black hair and the same blue eyes that complimented soft facial features. She wore a simple kimono tied at the waist. As Shiro's vision cleared she noticed him.

"He's waking!" she said. The young man, Isamu probably, looked him over.

"What do you want with our village?" he asked.

"There's a village here?" asked Shiro.

"Don't play dumb." Replied Isamu quickly. "You were found on the outskirts of our village. What do you want from us?"

"Food and water?" offered Shiro.

Isamu's eyes narrowed. Before he could respond the earth shook from some sort of massive impact from outside. Dust drifted into the cave from the opening. The three people turned and looked at the opening. Isamu immediately broke into a dash to the mouth of the cave. He looked outside, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"They're here. Watch him!" Isamu bolted from the cave, disappearing into the sunlight. As Shiro watched he noticed the girl creeping away. He looked at her, watching her silently. She noticed and immediately turned and ran. Shiro sighed, pursing his lips in frustration. He looked over at the old man.

"Oi! Old guy. Who's here?" The old man looked down at him with a frustrated glint in his eye.

"My name isn't old guy. It's Ryoma. And we're under attack by some enemy Ganmen." He replied.

"What's a ganmen?" asked Shiro.

"It's a giant machine!" Replied Ryoma surprised. "You brought one here with you! We found you piloting it!"

"Kirimen? My metal man?" asked Shiro. "It's called a Ganmen?"

"Yes it is."

"And they're attacking now?"

"Yes."

"Well lemmie go then!" Shiro rose to his knees and pulled at his chains.

"What? Why?"

"So I can help!" He pulled down on the metal chains but they didn't give. He stood, and pulled harder.

"What do you mean help?" asked Ryoma.

"Well there's more then one right? So that guy's gonna need help. I have a ganmen!"

"Why should I let you go?"

"Because I can help! I want to help! Let me help!" Shiro's voice grew frantic as he pulled on the chains.

"But how do I know that you will help? You could just as easily be an enemy spy!" explained Ryoma.

"But I'm not!" Said Shiro. "I'm trying to stop these ganmen from hurting my village and that means helping other villages too." He looked at Ryoma who remained silent as he stared down at Shiro. "I guess I don't have a really good way to prove I'm a good guy. I want to help! I want to protect people! I…" he paused, trying to find the words.

"I don't want to see innocent people die!"

XXXX

Shiro rocketed out of the cave sitting firmly in the seat of Kirimen. He pushed the handles forward as the drills emerged in the front of Kirimen's face and from his arms. The metal shield covered the cockpit of the ganmen sealing Shiro in as the digital display appeared in front of him.

He rocketed through the air, arcing high in the sky. He looked down on the battlefield and saw a group of ganmen marching on the village. The village itself was surrounded with mesas like his but instead of using tents, they lived in the various caves at the base of these mesas. Much of the open land was uninhabited save for some men wielding weapons that let out little puffs of smoke. In the center of the village stood a ganmen. It was green, its arms and legs massive with thick armor plating that looked like large shields. Its face had similar plating, making it look like the ganmen was frowning. A long barrel emerged from the back, trained at the oncoming ganmen. Shiro heard a massive boom that was followed by a large explosion in front of the enemy ganmen.

"I don't know what that thing is but it's cool!" he said. He landed beside the green ganmen.

"YOU! WHAT ARE YOU DOING OUT HERE!" Shiro looked at the ganmen and suddenly an image of Isamu inside a cockpit appeared on the side of his screen.

"Hey! You're piloting that thing?" asked Shiro.

"Of course I am stupid! Just get out of here before you ruin everything!" he replied.

"Don't worry about it! You attack them from a distance and I'll get in close!" Rasenken's three drills began spinning. "Let's go!"

"WAIT YOU IDIOT!" cried Isamu.

Shiro launched drill first into the mass of enemy ganmen. He went low, taking out the leg of one that held a massive metal cudgel in his hand. Shiro turned around and jumped on top of the ganmen, drilling into it, causing it to explode as he penetrated it. He emerged from the wreck and saw something strange.

One of the enemy ganmen was fighting the others. A yellow ganmen that rested on all fours, with long claws on each forearm, it almost had a face like a cat. It moved forward, dashing and rolling between the enemy ganmen cutting deep slashes into the metal armor. As Shiro watched several ganmen circled around him. He looked up just as one slammed a large fist into his ganmen pounding it into the hard earth. He grunted in frustration as he tried to move the arms but they were stuck above ground, spinning uselessly. As he fought with the controls he pulled the handles as far back as he could. Struggling he forced the control handles to move turning two metal disks set into the controls of his ganmen. As they were pushed forward he shoved the handles out. Suddenly the limbs of his ganmen were drawn in and a large drill emerged at the base. It activated, thrusting him deep into the earth.

"WOOOOOOOAAAAAHH!" Cried Shiro as he pulled at the controls, causing the ganmen to twist and turn through the ground making him cut through the earth as though it were sand. He pulled back on the controls causing the small ganmen to pitch upwards and explode out of the ground, harpooning a large enemy ganmen with his drill. He punched through and spun his machine around in the air. As he looked down on the battlefield he saw one remaining enemy ganmen fighting the yellow cat like ganmen. He pressed forward on the control sticks causing the machine to rocket forward and skewer the enemy mech, piercing its cockpit, its core, and busting through it, slamming into the ground. As he did the massive ganmen above exploded.

Shiro released the controls and the cockpit of Kirimen opened. He looked over at the one remaining ganmen as it rested on all fours. The mouth opened and the pilot stepped out.

"HEY!" said Shiro. "You're that girl!"


End file.
